Rutile
Rutile is a former Crystal Gem and a member of the Watchers currently residing in The Palace on Mars. Appearance Physically, Rutile isn't very different from other Gems of her type. She has a slim body, neat hair, and no nose. Her eyes are black, and her gemstone is on her lower left arm. Previous Prior to her capture, Rutile had a light red complexion with crimson hair. She wore a bright red vest and dark red leggings with irregular stripes along them, an angular, crimson belt, and scarlet boots. She has a star-shaped barrette on either temple, and a deep red, transparent visor. Current Rutile's appearance has hardly changed at all since her capture. In fact, the only difference (aside from color) is her visor: while previously transparent, it is now reflective and appears opaque. Due to Howlite's hypnosis, her colors are dull red instead of the vivid hues she sported before. Personality Even before becoming a Crystal Gem, Rutile was somewhat notorious for her relative lack of self-control, being informal or even playful with her superiors. This trait made it easier for her to defect, betraying her superiors and joining the Crystal Gems very suddenly. As a rebel, she was generally well-liked by the other Crystal Gems. Rutile's personality is now dictated by Howlite's hypnosis, turning her into a prototypical Rutile. She always does what is asked of her without question, and with a smile on her face. When not following orders, she wanders the Palace alongside Kunzite and arbitrarily performs with her. History Rutile is one of countless Gems that, during the Rebellion, joined the Crystal Gems to fight for Earth's freedom. At some point, however, she was captured by her superior and sent to Mars for her trial. Her lawyer was unable to disprove her guilt, but still managed to save her from being shattered. Instead, despite her expendability, she was sent to Howlite for rehabilitation. Rutile stubbornly resisted for a while, but eventually was weakened enough to be thoroughly hypnotized. Despite the brainwashing, her superior opted to replace her entirely, not trusting her to remain submissive, and gave her to Howlite. Consequently, she got stranded on Mars when the Rebellion ended, and is now considered a member of Howlite's Watchers. Abilities As an Era 1 Gem, Rutile has standard Gem abilities. Skillsets * Flute Proficiency: Rutile's weapon is a flute, and she can play it flawlessly. While intended to improve morale above all else, she can play in certain styles to have certain effects on other Gems. ** Combat Boost: By playing an aggressive, vigorous tune, Rutile can target Gems around her and strengthen them in the heat of battle. This ability even has the potential to give a singular Gem an edge when fighting a powerful fusion. ** Weak Hypnosis: Possibly a clandestine ability inherited from Howlite, Rutile can perform a slow, soothing tune to lull Gems into a trance. These Gems are then vulnerable to suggestion. This can be resisted, but its subtlety means that many affected Gems don't even realize they're being hypnotized until it's too late. * Piloting: As a Rutile, it can be presumed that Rutile has some level of piloting skill. Relationships Howlite Despite contempt and fear towards the Gem prior to her hypnosis, Rutile is now blindly loyal to Howlite, and would do literally anything she asked of her--even if it would mean her own death. Kunzite Rutile was assigned to Kunzite after the latter's brainwashing. She stays close to her new superior at all times, and provides accompaniment whenever she sings. While she is loyal to Kunzite, it is due to Howlite's assignment rather than any actual feelings she may have. Trivia *Rutile has worn a visor since the Rebellion, as a subtle nod to Garnet. Gemstone Gemology * Rutile is a titanium oxide mineral with chemical composition TiO2. It has a hardness of 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, and is found in varieties of rocks, as well as inclusions in other minerals. ** Most gemstones that display asterism (a "star" effect) or chatoyancy (a "cat's eye" effect) get the effect from microscopic rutile needles embedded in the crystal. * Rutile is usually red, black, or golden in color. * As an industrial mineral, rutile is primarily used to create a bright white titanium-based pigment. * The name "rutile" was first introduced by German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner in the early 1800s. The name is drawn from "rutilus," the Latin word for "reddish." ** However, the earliest description of rutile comes from a mineralogy catalog in 1772, where it was falsely named "red schorl." * Rutile itself is not a common gemstone, because it doesn't typically form large gem-quality crystals. ** Synthetic rutile was once used as a diamond simulant, but did not gain popularity due to how relatively soft rutile is, which made the simulant lose its beauty quickly compared to true diamond. * Metaphysically, rutile is said to promote forgiveness and calmness. Gallery Watchers Rutile.png|Rutile's original concept art Category:Rutiles Category:Watchers Category:Ex-Crystal Gems Category:Loyalists Category:Characters Category:Era 1 Gems Category:White Diamond Gems Category:Red Colored Gems Category:Unknown Colony Gems Category:Active Gems